The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Port Harcourt on Thursday commissioned 18 creeks patrol boats to fight smuggling and other illegal trade on Nigerian waters.
Speaking at the commissioning in Port-Harcourt on Thursday, Hameed Ibrahim Ali, the comptroller-general of Customs, said the 18 creeks patrol boats, consist of nine logistic support boats and nine gunboats with parts that are armoured.
“The addition of these boats to the Service Marine arsenal at a time when more smugglers are running away from the heat on land to water is simply the right thing to do. This, no doubt, marks the beginning of a renewed offensive against those who choose creeks and waterways as safe haven for illegal trade,” Ali explained.
Ali said that the deployment of the flat bottoms boats that can access the creeks should send clear signals to criminals that the game is up.
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“In-line with the Executive Order on Local Content of 2017, NCS tapped into the ingenuity of a Nigerian Company, SEWA to design, construct and build these edifices. These boats are not only built with our weather and circumstances in mind, they can compete with similar ones built anywhere in the world,” Ali said.
According to him, the relationship between Customs and SEWA represents excellent examples of what Nigerians can achieve by coming together.
Ali, who noted that the boats will be deployed for the Southern waters, urged the Eastern and Western Marine Commands of the Service to use the boats judiciously in the interest of the nation.
“We, therefore, call on well-meaning individuals and organisations to give the Service credible information that will enable interception and seizures of smuggled items,” he said.
